LONDON — In the end, Enzo Maresca was right. Chelsea are not currently in contention for the Premier League title.
Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace extended a troubling pattern that began over the festive period. The Blues struggled to translate their superiority to the scoreline and were later punished for their profligacy.
They were 1-0 up and operating with some comfort at a bitterly cold Selhurst Park. Cole Palmer’s composed 14th-minute finish after Jadon Sancho’s excellent performance down the wing gave them a deserved lead as Palace, who had been timid for most of the first half, sporadically threatened to find their way back.
But Chelsea failed to extend their lead and Jean-Philippe Mateta finished off a wonderful move involving Ismaïla Sarr and Eberechi Eze in the 82nd minute, leaving Maresca frustrated to see the one prediction he did not want appearing before his eyes.
“We talked about title contention two or three weeks ago, but we knew Newcastle and Aston Villa would be there,” Maresca said. “(Manchester) City will definitely be there. For me, it’s not about the table, it’s about finding out how we can improve the situation. The performance was very good, on and off the ball, but at this moment in the season I knew this would happen with any team in any season, there would be moments where they wouldn’t win the game.
“Sometimes it’s for one reason or another. If I had to decide why we didn’t win the game today, it’s that you have to be cool when you have a chance to kill the game, because a 2-0 game would probably have been over and it would have stayed open and , if you’re open, if you’re open, you end up conceding some transitions and corners, and you can allow that.”
Maresca insisted Chelsea cannot be considered title contenders after their 2-1 win over Brentford on December 15 left them just two points behind leaders Liverpool. Since then they have drawn 0-0 at Everton, lost at home to Fulham and away to lowly Ipswich Town before their recent draw at Palace.
In all games except the Fulham match, Chelsea had a higher expected goals (xG) value than the opponent. In four games, Chelsea have had 61 shots compared to their opponents’ 39.
“I’ve always said the important thing is to create opportunities.” Maresca said. “If you do that, you are doing the right thing. Then you have to take those chances. If you think about the Ipswich game, we had too many chances again. Sometimes it is football. Sometimes you create one chance and sometimes you score one goal. , sometimes you have to make 10 to get 2.
“How do we do it? During the week when we prepare for a game, we try to be more intense, even if the players’ intensity and intention are at their best. Of course, that’s something we need to improve on (we still know), but it’s hard to score goals at the moment. “It’s one of the two or three best teams.”
The last point is a fair one. Palmer’s 13th goal in 20 league games was the Blues’ 39th goal of the season.
A rapid influx of players and a start to the season under new manager Mauricio Pochettino saw them score just 38 points overall last season. Maresca has brought a degree of calm this campaign, which has been unusual since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed their purchase of the club in May 2022.
And there were some positives against Palace. Eyes turn to the transfer window around this time of year, but we already know that Chelsea will spend around £25 million to sign Sancho in the summer under the terms of his season-long loan deal with Manchester United. This includes an obligation to sign the winger permanently. .
Sancho’s assist for Palmer’s opener was excellent. He beat Palace defender Chris Richards with a superb step-over, a quality that once made him an attractive option for United, Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund.
This time last year, Sancho was training alone after an altercation with then-Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. He then rejoined his former club Dortmund on loan just a few days later and his career was at a crossroads.
There are now signs of life in him, but Sancho disappeared in the second period as Palace woke up. In fact, the bigger culprit was Nicholas Jackson. He wasted three good chances, including one in the second half, and the cautious atmosphere in the stadium suggested that Chelsea’s second goal would have sealed the match with significance.
For a while it looked like 18-year-old debutant Josh Acheampong would make his first league start with a clean sheet. Maresca lamented the long-term absence of centre-backs Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiaschule, compromising his one-on-one defensive style against certain opponents, most notably lone strikers Dominic Solanke (Tottenham) and Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
Palace’s Mateta was in a similar category here and Acheampong’s physicality helped Chelsea operate with some control until the end of the second half.
Chelsea are not alone in calling on Liverpool to lose their way in the second half of the campaign to create a wider title race. But much more of this and Maresca will be focused on the race for a top four place, with the title forever out of reach as he has always insisted.
